EA Sports picks Maple Leafs to win Cup

Toronto Maple Leafs' John Tavares prepares to take a faceoff against Detroit Red Wings' Frans Nielsen during the second period of their NHL preseason game in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.Jon Blacker / THE CANADIAN PRESS

According to an EA Sports’ NHL 19 computer simulation, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to defeat the San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup this season, with John Tavares claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Then again, based on the screenshots provided by the popular video game franchise, Mitch Marner will have grown an impressive handlebar moustache by the end of the playoffs. So the game has still got some bugs to work out.

What it essentially means is that the Leafs are now one of the best teams in the NHL — at least on paper.

It’s not hard to see why. After signing Tavares on July 1, the Leafs have the kind of star-studded roster that is tailor made for a video game. It’s all speed and skill and no grit. No wonder EA Sports gave the Leafs an overall best score of 93, as well as ranked three of their players (Tavares, Auston Matthews and goalie Frederik Andersen) in the top-50.

“I don’t think we’re deliberately making a statement, because it is looking at what’s going on,” said Will Ho, who is NHL 19’s Creative Director. “It’s looking at scouting reports and it’s looking at their actual performance, so the ratings reflect that. There’s no editorializing of what’s going on.

“If we get the individual players right, it should be pretty realistic.”

Indeed, two years ago the simulation predicted that the Nashville Predators would win the championship. They ended up losing in the final. Last year’s simulation winner was the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost in the conference final.

“We’re not right that often, but I think we have a certain percentage of teams that come out of the first round,” said Ho. “It’s sort of the nature of the playoffs. Anyone can win. Like who picked the Golden Knights to go to the final?”

While EA Sports picked the Leafs to win the Cup, the season does not bode well for the rest of Canada. Winnipeg is expected to lose to Nashville in the second round of the playoffs, but the bigger surprise is that both Edmonton and Calgary — along with Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver — will all fail to qualify for the post-season.

No word on whether Todd McLellan’s avatar will lose his job.

As for individual awards, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is expected to win his third straight scoring title, as well as the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award as league MVP. Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine is going to lead the league in goals, former Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson is going to win the Norris Trophy, Buffalo rookie Rasmus Dahlin is going to win the Calder Trophy, and Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is going to win the Vezina Trophy.

“It comes from a team that is passionate about hockey,” said Ho, a lifelong Oilers fans. “We want our product to reflect that passion.”

SPORTSNET PREZ LEAVES

Scott Moore, who helped secure a blockbuster 12-year deal for the national broadcast rights to the NHL, is stepping down as president of Sportsnet. And he’s doing it just as we’re on the cusp of seeing a Canadian team finally win the Stanley Cup.

It was in the fall of 2013 when Rogers spent $5.2-billion to wrestle full control of the NHL broadcasting rights away from CBC and TSN. At first, it looked like a severe overpay, as ratings tumbled in large part because all seven Canadian teams missed the playoffs in 2014-15. But the renewed success of the Maple Leafs, along with the Jets, Oilers and Flames, have turned things around since then.

“I’m so proud of what our team has accomplished,” Moore, who is being replaced in the interim by Rogers Media president Rick Brace, said in a statement. “Sportsnet is in a great place for future growth with all our platforms and I will be cheering on the team from the stands.”

SEATTLE IS COMING SOON

We are potentially two years away from another franchise entering the NHL. And with it, some changes to the current league alignment.

According to reports out of the NHL executive committee on Wednesday, the league is recommending that a vote takes at the next Board of Governors’ meeting in December on whether to grant Seattle a team. So far, the process has gone by without any problems, with Seattle City Council voting unanimously last week in favour of a $700-million agreement to build a new arena that would be operational in time for the 2020-21 season.

The only question is what division the 32nd team would play in? The logical choice would be the Pacific Division, where Vancouver is currently located, but they already have eight teams compared to seven in the Central Division.

In other words, change is coming. And it could be more involved than moving one or two teams from one division to the other.

SPECIAL CLASS

The season hasn’t yet begun, but the 2018 NHL Entry Draft is already looking like it was a good one with the first five picks — and several more — all sticking with their teams.

Well, for now at least.

A year ago, 10 players went from the draft floor to the NHL. But only top two picks Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick remained past the nine-game mark.

While Buffalo’s Dahlin (first overall), Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov (No. 2) and Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk (No. 4) are considered locks to stay with the club, there are bigger question marks with Montreal’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi (No. 3) and Arizona’s Barrett Hayton (No. 5), both of whom have benefited from a lack of depth at the centre position.

MAC GETS SHOT AT NO. 1 JOB

Good on the Hurricanes for claiming former Leafs goalie Curtis McElhinney off waivers on Tuesday. McElhinney might be a journeyman backup, but after posting a .934 save percentage in 18 games last season, the 35-year-old deserved a chance to show he can be more than just an afterthought. He’ll get that chance in Carolina, where an injured Scott Darling, who struggled last season, and Petr Mrazek are no one’s idea of a No. 1 goalie.

PRESEASON STATS

Preseason stats generally mean nothing, but Vegas has to be pleased that Max Pacioretty, who was coming off one of his worst seasons, scored four goals in five games with his new team. On the flip side, it can’t make Oilers management too happy that Milan Lucic had just a power play goal and an assist, along with a minus-2 rating, in four games. Or that

THIS AND THAT

Shea Weber might be the captain of the Canadiens, But it’s Carey Price’s team and everyone knows it. Montreal goes as far as its goalie takes them … There are now eight teams (Buffalo, Detroit, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas) without a captain. Looking at some of the choices around the league (Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog, Minnesota’s Saku Koivu, New Jersey’s Andy Greene), there really should be more vacancies … The Vegas flu could be a thing of the past — at least in the first half of the season — with the Golden Knights playing only 18 of their first 41 games at home … Of all the players potentially starting the season on the injured list, the one that impacts his team the most is Corey Crawford. If he’s out for any length of time, the Blackhawks have no shot at the playoffs.